Happy Endings are Never Easy
by Selene Airay
Summary: It's been eight years since Ellie Fenton first became half ghost. Clockwork and Ghost Writer, Ellie's soul mates, ask Ellie to move with them. But before it's even a possibility, she has to tell her parents that she's Ellie Phantom. Luckily Ellie has her boyfriends, best friends, and sister there to help. It still won't be an easy task, though. fem!Danny/Clockwork/Ghost Writer


Summary: Ellie Fenton has been a half ghost for nine years now. Vlad hasn't been her archenemy for five years now. All is as well as it can be when most of your ghostly pals are both friends and enemies because you protect humans from them. It's Ellie's anniversary with Clockwork and Ghost Writer, but things get interrupted a little. Then, the two ask her to move to the Ghost Zone to be closer to them. There's just one little speed bump on the road to Ellie's happily ever after. Her parents still have no idea that she's Ellie Phantom, the 'Ghost Girl', and for her happy ending to be possible Ellie needs to tell Jack and Maddie the truth before she can inform them of the news. At least Ellie has the loves of her life, Jazz, and her friends by her side. Who knew real life 'happily ever afters' were so difficult to both achieve and maintain?

Pairing: fem!Danny/Clockwork/Ghost Writer

Warnings: Mentions of violence, light foul language (possibly), fem!Danny, threesome, manipulation of canon

Disclaimer: Selene Airay doesn't own Danny Phantom.

**Happy Endings are Rarely Easy**

Ellie woke up with a stretch and a yawn. She loved when she actually managed to get a full night's sleep. Ever since the accident when she was fourteen, Ellie had been lucky to get more than five or six hours of sleep at a time. Yesterday, however, Ellie hadn't had time for any of her occasional naps she made it a habit of getting in. She had recently graduated from college, so lately she had been very busy. Today, however, was Ellie's first day off in a while. And she fully intended to give the ghost hunters all the work she could actually enjoy it. Today would be a very good day, she just knew it.

An hour later found her walking down the stairs to breakfast, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she went. Her hair was longer than it had been in high school, and it was as wild as ever so the only way to keep it out of her way was to put it up. Ellie walked into the kitchen to find her favorite morning smell- chocolate and coffee. She mumbled good morning to her father.

"Mm… Jazz is the only cook in the family, but you make the best chocolate chip pancakes, Dad." Ellie said as she grabbed a plate and added milk and chocolate syrup to her coffee.

"Well, I have to have _something_ I can make that doesn't come to life or blow up." Jack said, looking away from the stove, "You're the best baker in the Fenton family though, Ellie-bear."

"… Thanks, Dad, I think." Ellie said absently.

She was too busy shuddering at past memories of such instances to actually process the compliment, though. Such as the time her parents were so distracted that they unwittingly turned the toast turning into mini-monsters when she was eight. That had been when Jazz, who had been ten at the time, took over most of the cooking because she was tired of Jack and Maddie accidentally endangering their lives. Even as a half ghost hero Ellie still couldn't bring herself to even look at toast without going pale, let alone ever eat it. Sam still wondered why she was so picky about where she'd go out to eat breakfast for some strange reason.

"Good morning." Ellie's mother, Maddie, greeted as she walked into the room.

"Morning, Mom." Ellie said as she sipped her second cup of coffee.

Regular coffee wasn't as good as a nice mocha, but Ellie still considered it a necessity to start the day. Something Ellie liked to blame a certain literature ghost for.

"So what are you going to do today, Ellie?" Maddie asked.

"I'm going to catch up with Tucker and Sam." Ellie said, "Sam's taking a break before she heads out of state for graduate school and Tucker's using it as an excuse to slack off for the day from his online business he started last year."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to Vlad's? Jazz is on break so she'll be there too." Jack asked.

"… No thanks, Dad. I'm good." Ellie said, and then muttered, "Besides, I can only handle so much fruit loop interaction at a time."

"What was that last part, Ellie-bear?" Jack asked cheerfully.

"Nothing, Dad." Ellie said.

"If you say so." Jack said as he went back to eating.

Vlad Masters may have finally given up on killing Jack five years ago. However, he still delighted in making Ellie's life difficult. Really, the man was more of a nuisance than a persistent Box Ghost, both with and without the evil schemes. Ellie had started out hoping that without evil schemes the billionaire would cease to be a problem. Both she and Tucker had only ended up forced to finally admit that they were sometimes ridiculously optimistic in terms of the chaos of their everyday lives. (Tucker because he'd thought that Ellie and Vlad could end up eventually getting along without the archenemies part in the way.)

Not to mention that the man _still_ trailed after Maddie like a lovesick puppy. It wasn't gross anymore, it was pathetic. At this point, Ellie had a feeling that not only did she have more experience in romance than the man and he'd been around thirty when she was born. Ellie was twenty two now; one would have figured that eight years of failure would have sunk in the message. It didn't matter that Vlad's creepy "affections" were going thirty years strong. The younger halfa had expected Vlad to have more pride and brains than his persistence suggested he had. But she digressed.

"Mom." Ellie said quietly once Jack was out of the room, "What exactly made you agree to this?"

"Vlad's not so bad, Ellie." Maddie reasoned, "Besides, your father adores him and he has lightened up a bit the past few years."

"...Whatever floats your boat." Ellie muttered, still skeptical.

An hour later found Ellie leaving the house, her parents having already headed out. They had all agreed to skip lunch in favor of getting snacks at the arcade, so she met Tucker and Sam at a cafe. Sam and Ellie got quite a laugh out of their male best friend's reaction to the news of what exactly the rest of the Fenton family would be doing. Tucker and Sam _both_ laughed, however, at Ellie's story about the Ghost Zone's New Years party.

"Technus really kissed Amorpho at midnight because he thought he was kissing Skulker?!" Tucker managed to get out between snickers.

"Technus has been into Skulker for a while." Ellie informed the two, giggling herself, "Skulker has been dating Ember for years but Technus has been trying to get the mech ghost under the mistletoe every Christmas Truce party I've been to since I was sixteen."

"How'd a guy like Skulker manage to score a girl like Ember?" Sam wondered.

Ellie shrugged. "I don't know, and I'm _happy_ not knowing... but they do seem to suit each other when they haven't been in an argument."

"I wish I was that lucky." Tucker said wistfully, eliciting a bonk on the head courtesy of Sam.

"You said you're perfectly happy with your girlfriend, Tucker." the Goth girl reminded, "Don't get any ideas."

"I was just saying-" Tucker protested.

'Same ole Sam and Tucker.' Ellie thought in amusement, 'I'm surprised they didn't end up together with the way they argue like an old married couple.'

Of course, that could still happen. They were still young, and as Ellie herself had informed Dan, the future wasn't actually set in stone. Some things, though, Ellie had learned the hard way, are so likely or happen in so many possible futures that they're almost certain. Case in point, the ecto-acne incident which taught Ellie said lesson. The proto-portal experiment, in spite of her interference, still resulted in a halfa- even if it wasn't Plasmius- and Vlad still wound up a rich fruit loop.

"Ellie what do you think?" Sam and Tucker asked in unison.

"I think you both should chill and agree to disagree." Ellie claimed diplomatically, "We're adults now, remember? I'd have thought you'd get that neither of you are about to change by this point."

"Ellie, you're not helping!" they both complained.

Ellie just retorted, "What kind of friend would I be if I picked sides?"

They complained- more like whined- but conceded the point and went back to arguing. Ellie just chuckled, amused by her friend. It was amazing that no one else had picked up on what could have been between them. Still could be, in fact.

"I've had a lot of fun, but I've got to get going." Ellie said, standing up, "Spending time with the two of you wasn't my only plan for today."

Sam and Tucker perked up at that, distracted from their latest argument.

"Oh? You have a date today?" Sam asked.

"Yup!" Ellie confirmed with a grin, having gotten over most embarrassment concerning her love life a while ago.

"But I thought you can't go on actual dates because your parents don't know that you're half ghost." Tucker commented, "Or about them at all, for that matter."

"My parents are out of town for a couple of days visiting Vlad." Ellie explained, "And it's not exactly easy to bring up that you're in a steady three way relationship of any sort, let alone with two ghosts."

Nor had it been easy for Ellie to accept when she'd realized that she had feelings for two guys, both of whom were ghosts. When the halfa talked to Jazz, the older girl had taken it easier than she had. Ellie was still surprised that supposedly, in spite of rare as it was some of those aware of such relationships had an easier time accepting them than they did homosexual relationships. She still thought that Jazz had probably made that up.

"Speaking of Ghost Writer and Clockwork how are they?" Sam asked, "We haven't seen them for a while."

"I still don't see how you fell for a guy that made you rhyme like that." Tucker muttered, "Or one who pretended they were trying to kill you."

"Tucker!" Sam reprimanded.

"They're both good." Ellie answered, "The Observants lost a bet to Clockwork so he gets three decades free of their interference and Andrew's first mystery novel should be a big hit."

"I thought Ghost Writer mostly sticks to science fiction and fantasy?" Sam asked.

Ellie proceeded to explain that recently Randy, Ghost Writer's brother, almost got in trouble for trying to prank Walker. The only thing that saved the ghost had been when Ellie pointed out that if Walker's rule book forbade harmless things like pranks he was closer to a dictator than a compassionless prison warden. Ghost Writer had been annoyed to begin with, but came away from the incident inspired to write a mystery novel set in a futuristic setting, combining two of Ellie's favorite book genres.

"Man, I wish I could have seen Walker's face." Tucker got out between laughs, "He hates guys like Pariah and Plasmius more than the green eyeballs."

"As long as he leaves my friends and family alone, I couldn't care less about Walker." Ellie responded, and then jokingly added, "Though I still think that if his precious rule book suddenly gained a sentient human form he might actually marry it."

"You mean like that one anime about guys with countries for names?" Sam asked, snickering.

"How long have you been seeing them again?" Tucker asked.

"Three years now." Ellie answered, and then looking at her watch said, "I have to get going now, guys! Later."

"Three years 'now'?" Tucker repeated, confused as the half ghost disappeared from their sight.

"Don't ask me." Sam said, "By the time I noticed she'd been dating them for a couple of months."

Sam and Tucker didn't have any real indicator to make them notice, but the addition of the word now gave away something important. It was the anniversary of when Clockwork and Ghost Writer had confessed to Ellie. She had been just as surprised at the whole thing as Sam and Tucker had been. As a teenager she'd had a couple of crushes, just like everyone else. But they'd never been anything serious or on someone she knew, just the meaningless type some people got on actors, singers, or fictional characters.

Ellie's feelings for the two had been much deeper since before she noticed them. That she held them for two very different guys meant that she had been very confused about it. She'd only managed to identify her feelings thanks to Jazz. Her older sister had always been her infallible rock in the sea. Even then though, she'd been slightly conflicted up until Clockwork and Ghost Writer confronted her.

Remembering that day, Ellie smiled. She had gone to visit Ghost Writer in his library. When she entered the area he used for a home, Clockwork was already there. It was far from unusual to see the two together. They were friends, after all, and often helped each other with their work. Something was different, however, about their reception, and it put her off.

"_Well there you are." _Ghost Writer had said when he saw her, then he came right up to her, put an arm around her shoulder, and guided her to the couch, _"Come on in, Ellie."_

Clockwork, having known she had been likely to arrive when she did, simply smiled and greeted her with a _"You're right on time."_

For a moment, Ellie had simply blinked in confusion as she tried to push back the blush she felt forming, then she remembered saying, _"Well this is an unusually warm welcome. Not that I'm complaining or anything."_

"_You were always more observant than most realize." _Clockwork had said with a chuckle.

Ghost Writer sat next to her. Clockwork joined them on the couch on her other side. The blush she had tried to fight had doubled at the proximity to the recently realized objects of her affections.

"_Meaning?" _Ellie prompted.

Ghost Writer could very easily answered by giving a romantic confession that some would think meant he was talking too much. It would probably have even been poetic. Ellie knew that he could have even made it rhyme, and he would have been able to do all of that on the spot without prior thought or preparation. Most acquainted with him or who had heard of him might even expect it. Even then Ellie would have responded that those people didn't know the literature ghost. In life and death, the man rarely ever even considered being subtle when it came to something he wanted.

Rather, the literature ghost had informed her point blank, _"As a matter of fact, you were the topic of our conversation."_

"_Me? What were you talking about?"_

In contrast, Clockwork was often subtle and mysterious. The things he said often left even the Observants, who thought themselves his employers, reeling in confusion until after the fact. If he didn't simply dismiss them in the Observants' case, that is. But he was only vague when his duties as Master of Time were involved or connected to the situation or conversation. He'd been around a long time, and could have come up with an eloquently worded answer as easily as Ghost Writer could. But he also believed that actions spoke louder than words.

Clockwork had grasped her chin and moved her face so she was looking him in the eyes. _"This."_ had been her only reply, then without warning his lips met hers.

Her eyes had widened, and then they closed as she was ensnared by the sensation of her first kiss. The kiss was short. Yet Ellie still couldn't decide if she had been left speechless or breathless afterward. The sensation of the experience had been that indescribable.

When she could finally speak, words failed her. _"... C-Clockwork?"_

"_I would have thought it were obvious Ellie, even with your lack of knowledge where ghosts and the ghost zone are concerned." _Ghost Writer had said, wrapping his arms around her as he spoke, _"We grew tired of waiting, and agreed that the time had finally come."_

Ellie looked between the two, confusion clear in her eyes.

_ "We both know that you've felt it too, Ellie." _Clockwork wrapped his own arms around her, and spoke almost directly into her ear. _"There is an unbreakable connection between the three of us that runs deeper than anything humans believe to be real."_

"_What do you mean?" _Ellie asked when she finally started to catch on.

"_You're the soul mate of both of us, and through you we are ourselves connected on a lesser level." _Ghost Writer had explained, _"It's a concept which very well may be as old as or older than religion itself, yet rarely accepted among the living even by those who believe in true love."_

At the time, Ellie had had trouble believing her ears yet at the same time she remembered a soaring sensation in her chest. _"Soul mates are real?"_

"_Humans are held back by the five senses, but ghosts lack many of the concepts that hold humans back in life. Even the ones who were the most skeptical of scientists." _ Clockwork had elaborated,_ "We can feel such connections just as we can feel the energy of other ghosts or experience an actual sensation when feeling for or searching our core."_

"_Should soul mates act upon the connection between them, they receive a mark upon sharing their first kiss." _Ghost Writer then informed her, then gesturing to Clockwork added, _"See for yourself."_

At that Clockwork pulled at his collar, proving that true to Ghost Writer's word, where Clockwork's neck and shoulder met there was a tattoo like mark in the form of a silver rose that hadn't been there before. Eyes wide, Ellie unzipped the jacket of the outfit that had replaced her old hazmat suit and pushed the sleeve away from her corresponding shoulder to reveal a blue gear shaped clock without numbers. She had gasped, and then shyly looked at Clockwork and Ghost Writer, her face red.

"_To be honest, when I first realized that my feelings for you two didn't seem to fit simple friendship I never expected anything like this." _Ellie admitted, more confident with the knowledge that she didn't seem to need to hide her new found feelings in fear of being forced into a hasty decision between the two or ending up chasing both away on accident.

"_It's only natural, cases like ours are unusual even in the Ghost Zone. Nonetheless, everything will be fine." _Clockwork assured, _"I care for you far too much to allow otherwise."_

"_We may not have met or become friends on the best of terms but nothing will keep me from you now that I've come to love you." _Ghost Writer said, _"You're not alone, Ellie. From now on we'll protect you."_

Then, Ghost Writer leaned down and kissed Ellie. His kiss was equally indescribable as Clockwork's. When they pulled apart, Ellie was smiling. To that day Clockwork claimed they were lucky no one else had ever seen her smile like that, and Ghost Writer claimed in response that no one else even had the privilege.

Ellie had looked at each of them, happier than she had ever been before then. _"I love you. Both of you."_

As she touched where Ghost Writer's mark, a purple quill, would be, Ellie's smile widened. The fact that the marks only showed when she was a human if her powers rose to the surface without her going ghost was a pity, but at least it avoided awkward questions from those who didn't know the whole story. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Ellie noticed that she had reached her destination. Ellie moved to enter the restaurant she was meeting Clockwork and Ghost Writer at for lunch. Only to be stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around her.

"Boo."

For a moment Ellie was almost startled. Then, noticing a watch on each wrist, she realized who it was immediately. It was clockwork in his human form, which gave him a normal skin color but silver eyes and blue hair. (He even still had his scar like mark, though it was red as if it really were a scar.) Not at all surprised after three years in a romantic relationship, Ellie simply smiled and leaned back into his embrace.

"Hi Jaden." she greeted, using Clockwork's alias when he was disguised as a human, "Where's Andrew?" ('Andrew' being Ghost Writer's name from when he was alive. Calling the two by names humans saw as relatively normal was less conspicuous.)

"Right here." said ghost spoke, also appearing human, though the only real difference was that his skin wasn't gray, "Am I late?"

"Not at all, I just got here myself." Ellie assured, pulling away from Clockwork to kiss him on the cheek, "In fact I think we're all a few minutes early."

"Of course Jaden's here. He probably went out of his way to either arrive right when you did or be here when you came." Ghost Writer pointed out.

Ellie snorted, knowing the literature ghost was right. It was an easy thing for Clockwork to do, considering that he was the master of time.

"Yet you're also early, Andrew." Clockwork retorted teasingly, eliciting a grumble from said ghost.

Ellie giggled. "What can I say? I guess we were all just eager."

"Indeed, after all today is special." Clockwork agreed.

"Shall we?" Ghost Writer invited, offering Ellie an arm.

"Why thank you, my good sir." Ellie said with a laugh as she complied.

Then the three walked in. The hostess led them to a circular booth. Naturally, Ellie sat in the middle. Before long, they had their drinks and the waitress had taken their order.

"It was remarkably lucky that we were able to go on a date today." Ghost Writer commented.

"Yeah, normally Vlad goes out of his way to torment me, but since I don't have to worry about Mom or Dad anymore I actually owe him one." Ellie said with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" Ghost Writer asked.

"Hm? Didn't I tell you, Andrew?" Ellie said in surprise.

"Ellie was able to come out on a proper date because her parents are out of state visiting Vlad Masters." Clockwork informed the other man.

"Wouldn't your parents normally drag you along on something like that?" Ghost Writer asked.

"I already had plans to catch up with Sam and Tucker, so they provided a likely and actually genuine excuse." Ellie explained.

"One of these days, I would really like to meet your friend Tucker in a more friendly setting to dissuade his concerns about Andrew and myself." Clockwork said.

"You mean that boy that places technology on a pedestal higher than Technus does?" Ghost Writer asked, "I thought he had less trouble accepting it than the Goth girl?"

"Sam's naturally suspicious of ghosts, ridiculously so sometimes, but it's just that she wants me as safe as can be managed." Ellie defended, "As for Tucker, he doesn't care since you make me happy. He just has trouble seeing how I fell for either of you with how we met."

"That explains why Samantha was so happy when she found out that we're more than capable of protecting you." Clockwork noted.

"She certainly sounds like quite the character." Ghost Writer added, "It's a shame that there hasn't been an opportunity for me to meet your friends."

Ellie placed a hand on Ghost Writer's shoulder. "It'll happen someday. Though after summer is over that might be even harder to accomplish…"

For a moment, Ellie was downcast at the thought that it was proving so difficult for the men she loved to meet her friends. And the thought that after the summer, she might end up separated from said friends. Then the food arrived, distracting her. She didn't even notice Clockwork and Ghost Writer exchange a look and a nod over her head.

"Wow! This is the best Chinese food I've ever had here in Amity Park!" Ellie exclaimed in delight, "I haven't had Chinese food like this since the family trip to California when I was thirteen."

Clockwork chuckled. "Didn't your father almost get you banned from Pick Up Stix?"

Ellie winced. "And here I thought I had managed to forget that after nine years."

"Pick Up Stix?" Ghost Writer asked.

"A Chinese restaurant, it's almost fast food." Ellie explained, "It's really good but I haven't seen it outside the West Coast."

"How did your father almost get kicked out?" Ghost Writer asked, "His usual ghost related antics?"

"Actually… he wouldn't stop eating." Ellie mumbled.

"And your father wonders why he breaks cheaper scales." Clockwork chuckled.

Soon enough, they were done. Clockwork and Ghost Writer both paid the tab. Ellie was just happy they let her leave the tip. It was sweet of them to insist on paying for their dates, but she hated being too dependent on anyone. (Ghost Writer still wanted to know how Clockwork had any money from the human world, let alone his own bank account.)

"So what next?" Ellie asked when they left the restaurant.

"We thought we could catch that movie you mentioned." Ghost Writer said, "Didn't it come out recently?"

"Last Friday, in fact." Clockwork answered.

"Oh, shut up you!" Ghost Writer grumped playfully, "Not everyone has an occupation or ability that lets them know practically everything like you claim to."

Ellie, however, was ecstatic. "Really? I've been looking forward to that one for a long time!"

"That's why we thought it would be nice for our date." Clockwork told her.

"Today's going to be awesome!" Ellie cheered as she hugged the Master of Time then Ghost Writer, "First I got to spend a good amount of time with Sam and Tucker for the first time in months, and I don't know how long it's been since I've been able to spend so much time with even just one of you."

"It's true that we haven't had much quality time in a while." Ghost Writer acquiesced with a chuckle as he kissed the top of her head.

"Well, what do we have here. If it isn't Ellie Fenton." an overly familiar monotone voice drawled.

Ellie pulled away and turned around. "Mr. Lancer... It's been a long time. Still teaching at Casper High?"

"Indeed. I suppose that by now you've dropped out of college?" the bald man assumed.

"Actually, I..." Ellie tried to defend herself, but she had trouble speaking up against the teacher who helped make high school miserable.

"Ellie graduated from college last week." Ghost Writer intervened, "She's in the process of finalizing where she wants to go from here."

"Oh? It took her five years to graduate?" Lancer commented.

"Actually, I, uh... took a break for a year so I could catch up on my studies independently then I went to community college first." Ellie refuted, "That way is cheaper in the long run and I got the required stuff taken care of."

"She graduated from both with top honors." Clockwork mentioned, "I also heard that her last English teacher wished she had more students like Ellie."

"And you two are?" Lancer said drily.

"My name is Andrew, and this is Jaden." Ghost Writer introduced, "Ellie has told me about you. I'm an English major myself, and I've helped Ellie with her studies over the years."

"Have you now? It must have been difficult." Lancer said snidely.

"On the contrary, I've rarely found debating over literature so entertaining." Ghost Writer said, "I've also suspected her grades in high school were due to incompetent teachers or either blatant favoritism or an unfounded grudge against Ellie."

Lancer went red at the almost subtle insult. "What are you saying, exactly?"

"I believe that Andrew is saying that the Casper High faculty must either be blind or place sports on an overly high pedestal to have not seen or ignored the obvious bullying Ellie and many others went through." Clockwork said bluntly, "One Dashiell Baxter in particular never even tried to hide his hostile ways."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe your accusations." Lancer said, "Casper High has always had a no tolerance policy for bullies, if something like that were going one surely at least one student would have said something."

"I'm ashamed of you, Mr. Lancer; you've never outright or completely lied about something important before." Ellie said quietly, "Freshman year I told you that Dash dumped his tray of mud on me before the garbage fight started, but you just said that he was above reproach because he could throw things and knock people to the ground. Every time someone suggested just telling a teacher the others just said that all of the teachers rated sports too highly to listen."

"Oh, look at the time." Mr. Lancer exclaimed as he looked at his watch, "As lovely as this was I really must be going. My mother is coming to town for a visit."

Ghost Writer proceeded to hide an accusation of the teacher being a liar with a fake cough as the bald man left their sight. Ellie wasn't sure either way. Clockwork claimed that he didn't know either because he made a point of paying as little attention to the man as possible when keeping an eye on humans.

When they reached the theater, the girl in the ticket booth tried to flirt with Clockwork. She wasn't put off by his claiming to not have a phone or an e-mail address, which annoyed Ellie greatly. She hugged his arm and glared at the girl she was quickly dubbing a bimbo. When they had their change, she took great delight dragging the two men into the lobby.

"You get so cute when you're jealous." Clockwork chuckled, making Ellie blush and pout at the same time.

"I've said before that you shouldn't let women like that bother you, Ellie." Ghost Writer said, "Floozies like that aren't worth anyone with even half a brain paying attention to, and she can't hold a candle to you anyway."

Ellie pecked Ghost Writer on the cheek. "You can be so sweet."

When they reached the concession stand, they found yet another surprise. A familiar face from high school was leaving the counter, still in the theater's uniform. To be exact, a blonde guy Ellie's age. She suppressed a groan, and moved to hide behind her lovers before he noticed her. But before she was safe, he looked up.

"Is that you Fentina?!" he said.

"Hello, Dashiell." Ellie sighed.

"It's Dash! And you're looking pretty good for a loser, Fentina. You get surgery or something?" Dash sneered.

"Says the guy still stuck in the job he got to pay for college when he graduated high school." Ellie threw back.

"I see you traded the geek and the Goth for a pair of weirdoes." Dash remarked snidely.

"Sam and Tucker are still my best friends, Dashiell." Ellie said.

"Well, then what are you doing with these weirdoes then?" Dash asked.

"None of your business, Dashiell." Ellie said.

"She's on a date with us is what she's doing." Clockwork interrupted, putting an arm around her shoulders for emphasis.

"And you're just another employee of this establishment." Ghost Writer said, "I suggest you do your job without any fuss if you don't want me to complain to the manager."

Dash sputtered, and seemed like he was going to throw some kind of retort- a childish one, all three were sure- but held his tongue and left. They soon reached the front of the line, where an assistant manager apologized for Dash's behavior and gave them their drinks for three. Ellie just assured the frazzled woman that it was fine, but that she and the rest of management should keep an eye on how Dash treats coworkers and customers because he was an infamous bully in high school and Jr. high. When they left the counter, Ghost Writer was smirking at the thought of the jock losing his job.

Once they reached the 'stadium' which held the movie itself there were no more problems. Ellie _did _have to remind Clockwork that a theater was a little too public a place for kissing though. Nonetheless, all three enjoyed cuddling as they watched the movie. The movie turned out to be just as good as the previews made it seem, too, and all three enjoyed it.

"Ah, that was great!" Ellie said as they left the theater after the show.

"It was better than I expected." Ghost Writer agreed.

"You know, I wish we could spend more time together." Ellie sighed wistfully, "This is really nice."

"Actually, we have a solution for that." Clockwork said.

Ellie perked up. "Really?"

At this point, the three had reached the park. They stopped at a bench. Ghost Writer pulled her towards him, and both he and Clockwork embraced her from a different side.

"We've been together for three years now, and things between us are stronger than ever." Ghost Writer said, "We're clearly ready to move things forward, and Clockwork and I feel that the time is right."

"So we were wondering, Ellie. Would you move into the ghost zone with us?" Clockwork asked.

"You want me to move to the ghost zone?" a touched Ellie confirmed, "How would that work?"

"You could have your own lair, and you could have a door connecting it to the Clock Tower and library, or you could pick any room you want in the tower or library." Ghost Writer told her, "You can have your room to yourself if you prefer, or the three of us can share a room. Either way the tower and library are already connected."

"I would love that!" Ellie said enthusiastically, but became downcast when she thought of a problem, "Guys... my parents still think I'm just human, but I don't want to lie to them."

"I promise it will be fine, your parents love you." Ghost Writer reassured.

"But... they still don't really like the so-called 'ghost girl'. They just have a grudging respect for my refusal to harm humans." Ellie pointed out.

"If they can't accept you for who you really are, they aren't worth your time." Ghost Writer said.

Ellie still wasn't sure. "I can't picture life without them though..."

"Then we'll just have to help you." Clockwork assured, "We'll be there with you when you tell them."

Ellie brightened immediately at the suggestion. "Really?! You will?"

"Of course we will." Ghost Writer said, "How could we do anything else?"

"I love the both of you so much." Ellie told them.

"I love you too, Ellie." Ghost Writer said back.

"I love you as well, more than you will ever know." Clockwork agreed, and then he proceeded to make her forget her worries for the moment with a kiss.

"So... does this mean that you two are proposing?" Ellie half teasingly half curiously asked when she pulled away.

"Perhaps. You'll just have to figure that out for yourself, now won't you?" Ghost Writer said into her ear before pulling her in to kiss her himself.

The next day Ellie woke up bright and early. After how yesterday went she managed to sleep very soundly. In her opinion, her date with Clockwork and Ghost Writer couldn't have possibly ended better than it did. After all, in the near future she would be able to spend more time than ever with them. First thing's first, though. Ellie needed to tell her best friends, Sam and Tucker, the news before any of that could happen.

Tonight would be the perfect opportunity, too. Sam and Tucker were going to come over to Ellie's house for a sleepover. While Sam's house was the best place to go to for watching movies, Ellie had the best place for a video game marathon since her parents' jobs as ghost hunters meant the Fentons needed the best available technology at all times in terms of things like computers. It had been a long time since they could do something like that, so the trio had every intention of taking advantage of the opportunity. Not to mention how Ellie's house was going to be the only one empty except for the three of them.

"You're _what_?!" her friends exclaimed when she broke the news to them.

"Going to move into the Ghost Zone with Clockwork and Writer." Ellie repeated, "I can easily get a job that doesn't make me leave Amity Park and even lets me work from home."

"You did say that they're renting a penthouse near downtown as a cover for any humans that know about them." Sam conceded.

"I'm still confused about how this will work." Tucker argued.

"Tuck, _you're_ the one who helped me figure out my career of choice. It's rare enough in Amity Park for getting a job here to be easy." Ellie pointed out, "Besides, Amity Park is low on people available to hire as guitar instructors. The manager of the local music store would hunt me down if I left town on her any time soon."

Sam and Tucker winced at the last bit. It was only a slight exaggeration to say that Ellie would be in danger of becoming a full ghost in such a scenario. Ellie had always been fond of music, though it took a back seat as a hobby to video games and things like cartoons and comic books. Then, of course, there was how Ellie had always been- still was, in fact- so fascinated by science fiction and outer space that as a teenager Ellie had wanted to be an astronaut. So it was no surprise when Ellie, who had talked Ember into free guitar lessons since she'd been trying to learn on her own with no success, had gotten a steady, well paying job at the music store. The manager didn't even mind sporadic disappearances even though she didn't know Ellie was half ghost. Ellie was only employee who could teach an instrument that wasn't more classical or a brass instrument. (Though, she _could_ play the harmonica and the viola. Jazz had insisted on the latter to their parents when Ellie was in preschool.)

"Right... you talked about at least being an astronomer if not the dream of become an astronaut or at least working for NASA in a different field for so long I forget sometimes." Tucker said.

The astronaut dream had faded after Ellie had gotten a high enough score on the ACT test for the biggest issue with getting accepted into her college of choice would be how expensive it was. With how Ellie's grades were over the place and the lack of extracurricular activities that were either hosted by or took place in the high school she could never manage to make it into the program she was sure. As it was, though, by the time Ellie and her friends graduated high school she had long since accepted a reality that she had known ever since Vlad almost got the Earth destroyed by a meteor. (Ellie was still glad she'd both stopped the part of the plan that included revealing himself as half ghost and managed to keep her identity as Ellie Phantom a secret.) That was when she accepted that becoming an astronaut was a dream that became doomed to never happen when she was irrevocably settled into her routine of protecting people. Half dying when she turned on her parents', Ellie knew, was only the _first_ step away from that possibility. And she didn't need to know Clockwork to come to that conclusion.

"_How _it will work when Ellie's still half human isn't the issue, Tucker!" Sam said, getting them back on track, "Ellie's parents still have no idea that she's half ghost. They would freak if they figured out that she's been in a steady relationship with not just one but two ghosts for three years."

"Yeah, for you to be able to even talk about moving you'd have to confess to being half ghost." Tucker said, "You can't take a step that big and expect to be able to hide that they're ghosts. Their tech is too good, they would catch on eventually."

"That's the thing…" Ellie started, not sure how they would take the next part.

"Wait a second, Ellie! You're not thinking about suddenly telling your parents that you're half ghost after eight years so you can tell them about Clockwork and Ghost Writer, are you?!" Sam exclaimed, standing up.

Ellie didn't care what anyone said, Sam was scary. "Well, kind of…"

"You're going to tell them then? I thought you changed your mind?" Tucker asked.

"I'm just… sick of hiding who I really am." Ellie mumbled, "And I really want this."

"You actually love them a lot, don't you?" Tucker said.

"I have for a long time, Tuck…" Ellie admitted, "I never told anyone this, but when the three of us started our relationship, they told me that the reason we felt a pull is because they're my soul mates."

Tucker was surprised. "Soul mates? Seriously?!"

"I was so happy that how I felt wasn't a problem, or something even ghosts find weird or gross." Ellie told them.

"… Ellie? Why didn't you ever tell me how you felt before you told me about your relationship?" Sam asked.

Ellie sighed. "I was confused, and at war with my own feelings. I was conflicted right up until they confessed. I _couldn't _tell even you, I was afraid you'd think I was a freak."

"Ellie, we stuck by you as you were figuring things out about yourself and your powers and a half ghost." Tucker reminded the young woman, "There's no way we would have abandoned you over something like that. Besides, we've seen and heard much weirder."

Ellie hugged her friends. "Thanks, guys. You're the best."

"And you better not forget it." Tucker joked.

Just then, Ellie got a call. "Hello?"

It was Maddie. "Ellie, I'm sorry but we'll have to extend the trip by a day. Jazz's vacation was extended a week but she doesn't have enough clothes. Vlad is going to help us pick up the things she needs, then he's insisted we stay a little longer since his time was occupied by a business trip today."

"Wait… wasn't she coming home for the entire summer?" Ellie asked, immediately suspicious since Vlad was involved.

"Her apartment is having problems and her university is being remodeled over the summer." Maddie explained, "You don't mind do you Ellie?"

"Of… course not, Mom." Ellie assured, "I haven't had this much of a break in a while. I'm sure I can find plenty of things to do."

"All right then, Ellie." Maddie said, "I love you, bye."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye." Then Ellie hung up.

"Trouble a la Vlad again?" Tucker guessed.

"Not… necessarily. At least, I don't think so." Ellie said, "Not this time. The fruit loop's a pain in the neck, but he's mostly behaved himself besides tormenting me."

"You do have a point… maybe we're being paranoid." Sam said, "I mean, everyone deserves a second chance."

"Enough serious stuff! Anyone up for some Soul Caliber?" Tucker said, effectively distracting the girls and lightening the mood.

That was why Tucker had been Ellie's friend for so long. He was like the brother that went to any lengths to make sure you were happy.

Saturday, Ellie was expecting her family to come home. It had been decided that it would be the best time to tell the adult Fentons. So, Sam and Tucker were there for moral support, as were Ghost Writer and Clockwork. The ghosts and Ellie's friends were all early so that they had time to get acquainted before the rest of the Fentons got home.

"So you're Ghost Writer? You seem more pleasant than I pictured." Tucker said in an attempt to break the ice.

"Oh? And what, may I ask, did you expect?" Ghost Writer asked.

"I don't know, dude… But I didn't think anyone who could make Ellie rhyme like you did the Christmas she was fourteen would be all that nice." Tucker said.

Ghost Writer raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with rhyming?"

"Not usually dude, but Ellie rhyming like that was weird, and just not right." Tucker said.

Clockwork chuckled. "At least the boy's not afraid of you or acting awkward, Ghost Writer."

"Shut it, you. With how you met Ellie her friends probably have a much worse opinion of you." Ghost Writer retorted.

"Do they do this all the time?" Sam asked Ellie as they watched the ghosts bicker somewhat playfully.

"Oh, yeah. They love arguing. I've never caught them making out or anything but I'm convinced that they're also attracted to each other." Ellie told her friend, giggling at Ghost Writer's indignant sputter.

Sam gave a small laugh of her own. "Only you could end up with a love life as unique as your chaotic everyday life, Ellie."

"What can I say? If the idea of normal had a live representation, it would probably be allergic to me." Ellie joked, "I was always the odd one even before the accident."

"So Clockwork, how did you and Ellie actually become friends?" Sam asked, "I never got that story."

"Uh, Sam… I've been friends with Clockwork since the near disaster with the CATs." Ellie cut in.

"That's right; I forget sometimes that you never caught on. It's understandable that Ellie wouldn't have told you, either." Clockwork mused.

"Ellie… what is he talking about?" Sam asked, "You beat your full ghost older self in the future and changed the time line when you gave Mr. Lancer back the answers didn't you?"

Ellie winced. "That's… not exactly the full story."

"What haven't you told us, Ellie?" Tucker asked.

Ellie only shook her head. Clockwork, knowing how touchy the subject was, merely held her. He ran a hand through her hair, calming her down.

"I haven't heard of this either." Ghost Writer chimed in.

"Perhaps I should take over from her. May I tell them, Ellie?" Clockwork said.

"If nothing else, Writer deserves to know." Ellie mumbled.

"It started in an alternate time line, as you two are well aware. The pressure over the CATs was too much for Ellie. She tried to cheat, but was caught. The confrontation with her parents turned into a tragedy as the two of you, Ellie's family, and Lancer all died when the Nasty Burger exploded." Clockwork explained, "It's a little more complex than Ellie turning into an evil male full ghost. Ellie survived the tragedy, and having nowhere else to go, she went to live with the one person who could understand her and what she had been through, Vlad Masters, the only other half ghost in that time line. She couldn't take the pain, and was convinced that without her humanity the emotions plaguing her would also leave. Vlad complied, but that's where everything went wrong. The ghost half of Ellie retaliated by ripping the ghost out of Vlad. Phantom tried to overshadow Plasmius, but the evil overwhelmed the younger ghost. They fused into Dan Phantom, who was male because gender is less unbend-able for ghosts. Ten years after the fact, the human world and Ghost Zone were all but destroyed."

"What does that have to do with this Ellie?" Ghost Writer asked.

"The Observants pointed that future out to me. They wanted me to kill Ellie to prevent the end of the world. I didn't comply, knowing there was a better way. Instead, I sent ghosts from that time line to the past under the guise of a test, knowing they would lose, and that she would end up at my tower. To make a show of listening to the Observants I fought her. When I used an illusion to make the three teens think I had called in others like myself, Ellie did exactly what I intended. She fled to the future." Clockwork continued, "Valerie Gray made them aware that the catalyst for that entire future was the CATs. Then Dan showed up. Ellie and Dan ended up in a fight, while Sam and Tucker escaped safely to their own time when Dan tried to kill them. Ellie lost that fight."

"What?! But you said you said you took care of your other self easily." Sam said.

"That was Dan, not Ellie. Dan had shoved the time medallion into Ellie's core to keep her tied to that time, and trapped her in the Ghost Zone. Then he used one of the others to go to the past and make sure he still came to be. Ellie's enemies found her, and would have killed her had she not used the Ghostly Wail for the first time." Clockwork said, "But she would still have been trapped if not for Jazz. She figured out that it wasn't Ellie. Dan didn't kill her, so Jazz tied a note to the boomerang with instructions to find Ellie ten years in the future. Ellie got the note, and as instructed found Vlad, who told her about Dan's origins. Vlad helped her, and Ellie got to the past just in time to fight Dan in an attempt to save you all before you still died. Ellie won that fight. But she was too late to save you. I stopped time and saved them for her, then gave her the second chance she deserved."

"So that's why you freaked when Ember tried to call you Danny." Ghost Writer realized.

"It also explains the nightmares you had in high school that fell around the time frame of the standardized testing that hadn't bothered you before then and when you were studying for the ACTs." Tucker noted.

"You're too noble for your own good sometimes, Ellie." Sam said, "If we'd known-"

"What was there you could do? The whole thing is over and done with, and when time was wound back to during the test, your memories wound back with it because you were paused in time, while I kept mine because Clockwork put one of the medallions on me so that I would know everything was okay." Ellie said quietly, "The only effects of what happened were psychological. Jazz doesn't even know what happened to Dan because she was sure that if I thought it was important, I would tell her."

"I don't to be your future therapist sister to know that keeping something like that bottled up is bad for you, Ellie!" Sam scolded, "Why didn't you talk to anyone?"

"That's... sort of what led to me getting so close to Clockwork." Ellie admitted, looking away with a blush visible on her face, "I felt like he was the only one I could talk to."

"And how exactly did you and Ellie come to be friends, Ghost Writer? That's a story we never got." Tucker asked, changing the subject.

Ghost Writer and Ellie exchanged a look. They were silent for a moment or two. Then Ghost Writer burst out laughing and Ellie collapsed into a fit of giggles. Even Clockwork looked amused. Sam and Tucker exchanged a confused glance, knowing that they were missing something.

"We already know how you two met_. _I don't think anyone that was in Amity Park at the time who was older than three can forget _that_ mess." Sam added, "We just wondered how you two got pass that."

Ellie wiped a tear as she finished giggling. "Ah, it never fails to be amusing. You see, it all started when our third fight with Walker was over. You remember, during the disastrous summer camp when we had to help Wulf? I got around to thinking. Walker seems to hate me the most out of all of the ghosts that I've fought more than once. Yet he gives me the least grief." Ellie began, "That, in turn, reminded me that the last time I'd seen or heard word of Walker was my Christmas Eve as a halfa. Naturally, thinking about that Christmas made me think of the ghost that made that Christmas so difficult for me and taught me that my parents seemed to actually enjoy the yearly fights that had always made Christmas miserable for me."

"I still feel ashamed that in my anger over the ruined poem I didn't even wonder why you hated Christmas." Ghost Writer commented, "However it _did _still teach you a much needed lesson."

"I know, I know. I got over it by the next day." Ellie assured, kissing Ghost Writer on the cheek, "Any way, I knew that I owed Writer for giving me the nudge towards the attitude change I needed to be able to at least _attempt _to keep the disasters caused by my parents' arguments from ruining my own Christmas. Plus I had always felt bad that he ended up in jail because of me."

"Ellie, are you saying you broke him out?!" Sam asked, incensed and worried.

"But wouldn't Walker have come after you?" Tucker realized.

"Relax, Walker didn't ever come after me or send his goons after me again. Remember?" Ellie reassured, "I just got Wulf to open a portal leading from Writer's cell to his library, and I even had him leave behind an envelope titled bail money. I _did_ end up talking the _oh-so-pleasant _prison warden because Walker assumed it was me, but we came to an agreement. As long as every ghost I met left me unaware of what the rules were, he had no right to try to catch me. And if he wanted me to follow any rules I _did _know, he couldn't expect me to follow unfair or unjust rules unless he wanted me to spread that he wasn't doing his job right."

"So after breaking Ghost Writer out of jail you basically blackmailed Walker into doing his job right?" Tucker summarized, blinking, and then he burst into laughter himself, "Oh, man! I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he found out that the way he did things was making him one of the bad guys instead of a peace keeper."

"Tucker, this is serious! Ellie could have gotten into a lot of trouble." Sam reprimanded.

"I thought defying unfair regulations was your thing though, Sam?" Ellie teased.

"Th- that's beside the point!" Sam claimed, red with embarrassment.

"I'm certainly not complaining," Ghost Writer cut in, "In fact with the treatment prisoners who never actually did anything wrong received I agree one hundred percent with Ellie's actions after I was free. However, it was a bit rash. The meddlesome fools called Observants nearly stepped in. That's even how the three of us first came to spend time together at the same time."

"That's the second time you guys mentioned a group called the Observants. Who exactly are they?" Tucker asked.

"They're basically walking eyeballs who like pretending they have brains." Ellie said somewhat dismissively.

"'Walking eyeballs'?" Sam repeated.

"Their entire head is a giant eyeball." Ghost Writer elaborated, "They also all wear the exact same green robe."

"They like to think myself my employers because they've hired my services in the past." Clockwork explained, "Time is like a constant parade without a set course. While I see the parade, along with all possible routes it could take, from above, the Observants watch the parade from the side. They only see the present and the future that most likely will result from the current path being taken. They strive to keep things balanced and time flowing smoothly, but out of fear of damaging the time stream vowed never to interfere directly."

"So why do they matter then?" Sam asked.

"I believe you will remember a run in the three of you had with a rogue ghost called Vortex?" Clockwork inquired.

"Yeah, kind of heard to forget a ghost even Vlad Masters was afraid of when left without a way to make sure he had to listen to him." Tucker said.

"He had actually been a prisoner under the care of the Observants' minions for quite some time." Clockwork told the humans, "They were having an overdue trial to decide Vortex's fate when Vlad broke him free."

"So... I went through all that because the giant eyeballs were being lazy?" Ellie realized, "No wonder they always got on my nerves."

Ghost Writer chuckled. "Quite possible Ellie, but more likely they were busy arguing over something that either wasn't actually a problem or no longer mattered because the situation was long over."

"As a matter of fact, the fools were still arguing over Ellie." Clockwork chimed in, "They never liked that I helped Ellie, and even before Dan they were always wary of her."

"Okay, I don't know about you Sam but if they all can't stand these Observant dudes I hope that I never meet them." Tucker said to Sam.

"I say that I have my work cut out for me." Sam replied, "One thing's for sure, I'm not going to run out of things to do any time soon."

Ghost Writer looked at Ellie in confusion and she explained. "Sam dresses in all black, but she's actually a hard core environmentalist and very into- how does she put it- raging against the machine. Give her some policy or tradition that's unfair to change and you've put her in her element. She even smuggled frogs out of Casper High once to keep them from getting dissected."

Tucker and Sam found Ghost Writer's resulting evil grin and Clockwork's sadistically amused smirk creepy, but waved it off since they figured it came with being a ghost.

"In that case with what you've told me of the Goth girl I can't wait to see her at work." Ghost Writer said, practically gleeful, "The Observants will throw a fit."

"Sometimes I really want see how they'd react to pepper spray or something like that." Ellie added.

"When I was a child Clockwise never allowed me to go through with such a thing, but I keep a stockpile in case a… special… occasion should arise." Clockwork chimed in almost innocently.

Tucker was in hysterics now. "Oh, man! I can see now how the three of you get along so well. If you ever teamed up for a grand-scale prank, you'd have the entire Ghost Zone afraid of you."

"Tucker!" Sam scolded, but then hesitated and changed her mind. "Then again… Ellie's April Fool's joke on Paulina our junior year of high school was pretty funny."

"The supposedly foreign cheerleader? What did you do, Ellie?" Ghost Writer asked.

"Long story short… I tricked her into coming to the school disguised as a boy looking for a school to transfer to, then I used my powers to oust her for who she really was while making it seem like an accident." Ellie told the literature ghost.

She sounded deceptively calm and indifferent about the whole thing, but the grin on her face gave her away. Then the sound of a car pulling into the garage came. Sam and Tucker looked away for a moment, distracted by the noise. When they looked back towards the other three, they reeled in shock. While the two humans were distracted, Clockwork and Ghost Writer had switched to their human disguises. They seemed slightly downcast at the sight, making Ellie suspect they'd been hoping to see it happen because they'd been curious how the two do it.

"Ellie, can you come help me carry my things?" the five heard Jazz call after a couple of minutes.

"… Coming." Ellie called, and then turning back to the other four said, "This should only take a minute.

"Actually, I'll help you." Ghost Writer said, "Unless things have changed more than I've noticed, I doubt that you'll be able to help your sister get everything in just one trip."

Clockwork corrected the literature ghost. "We'll both help you."

Ellie smiled and kissed them each on the cheek. "Thanks, guys."

When the three entered the garage, they found Jazz was not only alone but trying to get a good grip on more shopping bags than she could actually handle. At first Ellie's eyes were widened in surprise at the sight. Then she snickered. One of the perks of being a former tomboy who still rarely wore skirts due to the lifestyle hazard of fighting ghosts all the time was that she did _not _like shopping, so she never had that problem. But being the dutiful 'super-powered' little sister she was, she overcame her amusement as Jazz's struggle and grabbed the heavier bags from her.

"Need a hand, Jazz?" Ellie asked, amusement still clear in her voice.

Jazz started and turned around, then she grinned and engulfed her little sister in a hug. "Ellie! I missed you so much; you should have come to visit!"

"Heh, sorry Jazz… it's kind of hard to get time off, and most ghosts don't exactly respect the idea of having weekends off." Ellie replied.

"Well, with the meddlesome warden it's not exactly easy to get the same extracurricular forms of entertainment humans enjoy, and the Ghost Zone also gets lousy reception for internet." Ghost Writer chimed in.

"Which is one of the reasons why I tried to talk you into getting an apartment here in Amity Park for your cover as a human." Ellie retorted.

"You know that Writer's idea of a good time when he's not writing or reading is using the Quantum Keyboard to humiliate idiots that got on his nerves, Ellie." Clockwork said.

"Not everyone has a job that makes the idea of reading a book or having something like cable television superfluous." Ghost Writer retorted.

Jazz blinked, noticing the two men that were, apparently, ghosts and realizing who they were. "You never said anything about your boyfriends being here when we arrived, Little Sister. Mom and Dad still aren't actually aware that you even have a love life."

Ellie shrugged, not caring to repeat what she told Tucker more than once. "Let's just say they're in for a few surprises when they get here. Speaking of Mom and Dad… where are they?"

"Mom insisted on driving when Dad wouldn't use the freeway instead of the back roads." Jazz said.

That was all the explanation Ellie needed. "… Oh. How long will they be?"

"I'd give it an hour or two if Dad already insisted on taking the wheel." Jazz said.

"How is that an explanation?" Ghost Writer asked.

"Dad's lousy about obeying the speed limit and the rules of the road yet he always manages to reach his destination, but Mom has a lousy sense of direction when she's driving, and needs a navigator." Ellie said, "With Dad as the only passenger they're bound to take a while getting anywhere that isn't in Amity Park."

"… You truly must have the patience of a saint to deal with parents like that with such ease, Ellie." Ghost Writer said.

"Nah, that would be Jazz. She had to deal with them _and_ raise me when they were too preoccupied with ghosts and inventing ghost hunting equipment to take proper care of me when we were kids." Ellie claimed, writing off the compliment.

"At least your life is never dull." Clockwork reassured.

The four spent the next forty five minutes getting Jazz's things from the car and putting them away. Jazz used the opportunity to become acquainted with Clockwork and Ghost Writer. And, of course, get the short version of why the two ghosts were there. When Ellie went to apologize to her friends for taking so long, she discovered that they had just passed the time with some TV and didn't mind in the slightest.

Ellie just laughed and joined her boyfriends in the kitchen to get snacks and drinks ready for when Jack and Maddie got back. Jazz opted to join Sam and Tucker in the living room. When the three finally went back into the living room themselves, Ellie had expected to find Jazz talking with Sam and Tucker, probably using them to find out the things Ellie hadn't said or forgotten to say. Instead, the halfa found her parents already home and her friends looking uncomfortable.

"Ellie, you made fudge!" Jack exclaimed when he noticed, excited at the sight of one of his favorite dessert foods.

But a now frozen Ellie gave no indication that she heard her father. She barely even noticed her big sister turn around to look at her with an expression that said without words, 'I'm sorry, little sister. I tried to tell you but I didn't get a chance'. The reason for Sam and Tucker's discomfort was blatantly obvious. Across the room, sitting on the couch with the elder two Fentons, was the man Ellie still half considered her archenemy.

"Hello, Danielle. I must say, you're looking well." Vlad greeted.

"I hope you don't mind, Sweetie." Maddie said, almost but not quite apologetic, "When we told Vlad that you couldn't come because you had plans, he insisted on coming back to stay with us for a couple of days to make it up to you."

Clockwork put his free hand on Ellie's shoulder in silent comfort, snapping her out of it, and said quietly in her ear, "I apologize. This twist was unlikely, so I didn't think to mention it."

"… Of course not." Ellie falsely assured her mother.

"What are you going to do, Ellie?" Ghost Writer whispered.

Just then, Jack, Maddie, and Vlad finally noticed Ghost Writer and Clockwork.

"Who are those two, Ellie-bear?" Jack asked, "New friends of yours?"

"I… wouldn't exactly say new." Ellie said, "They're from out of town so there was just never a chance to introduce you until recently."

Vlad, knowing somehow that that wasn't quite the truth, chimed in. "That's unexpected. What brought about the change, Little Badger?"

"I find myself agreeing with Vlad Ellie, how come I've never heard you talk about them before?" Maddie added.

Then an idea struck Ellie. She sent Vlad a look which was as close to a glare as she could get around her parents that everyone but Jack and Maddie knew said, 'I'm taking this game up a notch. Just try to keep up… Fruit Loop.' Disbelieving, Vlad raised an eyebrow challengingly. His message: 'You can go ahead and try.'

"My name is Jaden, this is Andrew. We used to help Ellie with her schoolwork." Clockwork said, introducing both himself and Ghost Writer with the names they tended to use as humans.

"Actually, Mom… Dad… there's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about for a long time now." Ellie admitted, throwing a smirk at the billionaire.

Sam and Tucker seemed incredulous that Ellie was still starting that particular conversation around Vlad, while Jazz looked like she was barely suppressing a face-palm. Ghost Writer was trying to hide his chuckle with a fake cough. Clockwork, on the other hand, was smirking now himself. Ellie had a rare talent of being able to turn things around in her favor without necessarily meaning to.

"You know you can tell us anything, Sweetie." Maddie said.

"Is it about ghosts?!" Jack asked.

"Actually, Dad… it is. Do you remember how at first the Ghost Portal the two of you built didn't work?" Ellie asked, then continued when they nodded after exchanging a confused glance, "Well… it kinda goes back to that day… promise you won't react or say anything until I'm done?"

"We promise." Maddie reassured, grabbing Jacks arm to make sure he complied.

Ellie sighed; this was even harder than she thought it would be.

"Well… it kind of… only works because of me. When you built it, one of you put on and off buttons on the inside of it. I was taking a look inside when I accidentally hit the on button." Ellie continued, "I got shocked with thousands of volts of electricity and blasted with a bunch of ectoplasm all at once. Instead of dying, I passed out, and was different when I woke up."

Maddie gasped at the implication, horrified. Vlad was wide-eyed in shock at the fact that Ellie was actually telling her parents the truth. Jack, who processed things at a slower pace, was still confused.

"Over the next few months, I kept developing powers. With Sam and Tucker's help, I figured out that I had become half human, half ghost. By the time your supposed college reunion came around eight years ago, I was infamous in the ghost zone because I had firmly asserted my position as the ghostly protector of Amity Park… Ellie Phantom." she confessed.

"But… but… that should be a scientific possibility!" Maddie denied.

"Not at all. Ellie the electric shock only half dead because the ectoplasm of the Ghost Zone itself fused with her DNA." Clockwork said.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner… but you're ghost hunters! I was scared, you were always raving about wanting to rip the 'Ghost Girl' apart molecule by molecule. The one who gave me the most trouble to date is even sitting right there on the couch with you, and I can prove it!" Ellie said.

She went ghost right then and there. Then, ignoring her now gaping parents and increasingly nervous ex-enemy, she phased her hand into the chair Jazz was sitting in. She pulled out a metal device the size of a water pistol. Jack and Maddie recognized it as their invention designed to undo ghosts' invisibility. She shot it at Vlad, then… he transformed into Vlad Plasmius. Ellie had figured out soon after the device was invented that it had a side effect of revealing the ghost form of halfas.

"V-man?!" Jack exclaimed, shocked.

"Vlad's accident with the Proto-Portal made him, a half ghost too. He used his powers to gain his money." Ellie informed her parents, "That's why he still hasn't forgiven you, Dad. He used to be my archenemy because I didn't let him or help him take over the world and refused to ditch you… Also, because I keep the Fruit Loop from trying to steal Mom away."

Jack, now understanding, looked hurt. "Vladdie…? But you're my best friend…"

"Do you really still think that, you idiot?! You half killed me! You stole the love of my life from me before I could even tell her how I felt!" Vlad raged, "Do you have any idea how it felt, spending all those years knowing that I'd been essentially killed by my best friend, and that I could become a trillionaire and still have an empty life because you'd taken the only thing that truly mattered?!"

Ellie took the opportunity to bind Vlad in ecto-chains. "You've your chance to vent, Fruit Loop. Relax a while, when I'm done you should have a nice long, peaceful, chat with my parents."

"Ellie, how come you're only telling us now?" Maddie asked.

"To be honest? One of my biggest reasons was I knew it would crush Dad to find out the truth about Vlad." Ellie said, "As for the timing…. Well… these two aren't exactly human either…"

"Honey, what are you-" Maddie started to refute, only to pause in surprise.

While Vlad and the humans in the room had been distracted by the conversation, the two full ghosts had shed their human disguises. Vlad looked incredulous, while Jack and Maddie were gaping. Even Sam, Jazz, and Tucker seemed surprised. (Which may have been because they hadn't expected that.) Ghost Writer and Clockwork were both smirking.

"Let us introduce ourselves. I am Clockwork, master of time."

"I'm Ghost Writer; it's a pleasure to meet the couple that raised Ellie."

"Ghosts!" Jack exclaimed.

Ellie quickly threw up a barrier. "Mom, Dad, these two are good ghosts! Not all ghosts are evil!"

Maddie didn't believe her. "Sweetie, how many times do we have to tell you that ghosts are-"

"Almost exactly the same as when they died if they were ever a living human." Ghost Writer said.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Ellie's been fighting ghosts longer than you've known that you were right along about ghosts existing." Clockwork added.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but how long exactly has Ellie known the ghost in charge of looking after the timelines?" Vlad interjected.

"… It's a long story. One I don't feel like telling twice in one day." Ellie said, "Let's just say the CATs my freshman year would have led to disaster if not for Clockwork."

"Excuse me- Clockwork, wasn't it, but how would you know how long our daughter's been fighting ghosts?" Maddie asked.

"Mom, he controls time, and knows all the alternate ways things can turn out." Ellie explained.

"What does how long Ellie's been fighting ghosts have to do with anything?" Jack asked.

"Dad, I've gotten to know quite a few ghosts, whereas I'm the only ghost you've ever actually talked to." Ellie said, "It's even a rule that no ghost can cause trouble on Christmas."

"In fact, Ellie's enemies like her fudge so much the warden of the Ghost Zone so much the warden of the Ghost Zone puts any ghost that tries bothering her the week before the Christmas Truce Party." Ghost Writer said, "Believe me, I know… it took three years for him to stop making sure my Quantum Keyboard was still broken."

"I'll admit that he's right about the fudge… but 'Quantum Keyboard'?" Vlad chimed in.

Ellie and Ghost Writer exchanged a look, and then Ellie dismissed the question. "He… helped me get over letting your yearly argument ruin my Christmas."

"Little Badger, I for one would like to know why these ghost friends of yours are here." Vlad said, (by now only Jack was unable to tell that the billionaire was purposely attempting to push Ellie's buttons) "After all, you couldn't know that I would be here… Or that it would take us so long to arrive, for that matter."

Ellie took a deep breath, knowing that this was it. There was no turning back, even if she had found it tempting. Which wasn't the case, but she was still nervous. Clockwork placed a hand in hers as silent encouragement. Ghost Writer simply squeezed her shoulder, having never bothered removing it. Vlad noticed, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Ellie finally just took the plunge and started the point of the conversation. "Vlad being here kind of makes things a little awkward, but… Well, Clockwork and Ghost Writer are _why_ I finally worked up the courage to tell you that I'm what ghosts call a halfa."

"Why is that, Ellie?" Maddie prompted.

"They're more than just my friends." Ellie finally admitted.

That comment made the bout of confessing one of the rare cases where Jack's inner overprotective father showed. "What do you mean by 'more than friends'?"

Maddie put a hand on her husband's arm to calm him. She remained silent, however. The woman knew that it was best to let their younger daughter talk. After all she wasn't blind; Ghost Writer and Clockwork were both clearly very close to Ellie.

"As in… Clockwork and Ghost Writer are my soul mates." Ellie confessed.

"You have _two_ soul mates?!" Maddie exclaimed, "Well, as odd as it is… it does explain why you always skirted around giving details about your love life."

"Considering not only are there two of them, but they're ghosts, to boot? No kidding, I hadn't even told you that I'm half ghost."

Then Jack chose to have a rare moment of insight. "Ellie-bear, I'm starting to reach my limit for surprises for the day, but I've got to know… why are you telling us now?"

Ellie looked at Clockwork, then at Ghost Writer. "On our anniversary they asked me to move in with them, and we're engaged now. I didn't want to lie to you about something so big."

What Ellie didn't tell them was that she'd been sure that the inevitable changes that would follow would have been the only thing that could have led to her parents finding out on their own. (Even if Ellie, Ghost Writer, and Clockwork expanded on the cover story of the two ghosts being humans.) Her parents may have been fairly oblivious due to their obsession with ghosts, but they were still intelligent. She was sure that Jack and Maddie would have eventually finally noticed something odd and become suspicious. If things had gone that route, disaster would have doubtlessly followed. Previous experience and how many times ghost-related situations had snowballed out of proportion cemented that concern as a fact for the female halfa.

While the elder two Fentons were still taking in the new information, Jazz squealed in delight. "You're engaged?! Congratulations, Little Sister! Do you have a ring?"

With a blush, Ellie nodded. When Jazz demanded she let her see, she turned back into a human and obediently held out her hand for inspection. Ghost Writer and Clockwork hadn't both given her a ring, or even given her one semi-typical but still fitting engagement ring. Instead, on her ring finger was a ring most humans wouldn't have expected to be an engagement ring. It was a band of aquamarine in silver, with the circle interrupted by a purple diamond embedded at the top.

Then Jazz dragged Ellie over to their parents, exclaiming "Look, mom! Isn't it beautiful?!"

"Oh my! Ellie, your ring is positively stunning!" Maddie agreed, "Isn't it, Jack? Jack?"

The usually boisterous man was suspiciously silent, and had a strangely thoughtful look on his face. When Ellie saw that, the elation that had been slowly forming crashed and nervous apprehension beyond what she had felt before the start of the conversation took its place. Maddie was notoriously accepting when presented with facts that asserted concepts which either she had never considered or proved even the firmest of her beliefs wrong. Had ghosts proven to _not_ exist, the woman would have been disappointed but eventually gotten over it. She also did _not_ hide how she was feeling. So all in all, her mother's comment proved to Ellie that she had accepted everything.

Jack Fenton was an entirely different story. He was infamously stubborn. During the first Lunch Lady ghost incident he had really almost given up on ghosts. But the man had been obsessed for so long that he would have sulked for a very long time. More importantly, 'quiet' was never a word that described the man, and in spite of his one-track mind he was easily distracted to boot. To top it all of Jack was impatient, therefore a man of action. The fact that Jack was so quiet was a cause for concern. It could only mean that he was deep in thought, something that never even happened during emergencies.

Now apprehensive, Ellie tried to snap her father out of it. "…Dad…? Are you okay?"

Ellie had sounded so small that it broke Jack out of his daze.

"I'm okay, Ellie. It's just a lot to take in." Jack reassured, "Are you absolutely certain that they make you happy?"

"I am, Daddy. I love them very much, and have for a long time now." Ellie said softly, "When I first realized how I felt about them, I was scared that being in love with two guys- both ghosts, at that- made me even freakier. But they make me the happiest girl in the world, and I'm a better person today than I would have been if I had never met them."

"What do you mean by that, Ellie-bear?" Jack asked.

Ellie only looked away, still ashamed of how she used to spread the misery her parents' yearly fight had caused her; it made her feel worse than Ebenezer Scrooge. Ghost Writer also stayed silent, feeling it was too soon for Ellie's parents to find out how she met him. It wasn't likely to make a good impression. They had summed up the incident earlier in the conversation, hoping it would be enough to satisfy Ellie's parents. Luckily, Clockwork understood and so stepped up to the plate.

"The story of the part I played is a long one that should, as Ellie stated, wait for another day." Clockwork told the Fentons, "As for Ghost Writer, I suppose you could say that _that_ story dates back to Ellie's first Christmas. By the time Ellie's first Christmas as a halfa rolled around, your yearly fight over the existence of Santa Claus had caused Christmas to be a disaster so many times that Ellie had loathed the holiday. I won't give you the details, but Ellie's frustration led to Ghost Writer deciding there was a lesson she needed to learn. The incidents that made Amity Park blame a ruined Christmas on the 'Ghost Girl' were the result."

This time, it was Tucker, Sam, and Jazz who flinched. They all felt bad that they had joined the rest of the town in blaming that little mess on Ellie without giving her a chance to explain. Ellie had even _tried_ to tell them that they were stuck in a poem. By this point Ellie was ducking her head to hide her face in her hair and Ghost Writer had a barely visible blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"Now that I think about it, after everything was fixed there was a sled full of ghosts." Maddie suddenly remembered, "What was that about?"

Ellie perked up slightly. "Oh, they're a bunch of ghosts that were each my enemy at one point or another. Every Christmas there's a truce all ghosts stick by, so they helped me fix things. They even hold this big party every Christmas Eve, it's surprisingly fun."

"That explains the disappearing fudge that I never get to eat." Jack grumbled.

Vlad smirked. "Ah, yes, it's very delicious. There's always a brawl over the last piece."

"Cheese-head, I'm this close to gagging you to get you to shut up if you can't be civil." Ellie threatened.

"Must you always stop my fun, Little Badger?" Vlad said, and Ellie swore the billionaire was _pouting_.

Ellie just smirked; it was nice to stop pretending to be civil just because her parents were around. "When your 'fun' tends to mean everyone that isn't you and sometimes Skulker ends up miserable or in pain? Yes."

"Who's Skulker?" Maddie asked.

"More tech than ghost. He prides himself in being the 'greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone'." Ellie explained, "Last time I checked, he wants to kill me and skin me to use my pelt as a trophy."

The glint in Jack and Maddie's eyes spoke of pain in Skulker's future if he ever showed his face around them. Ellie _definitely _planned to have a camera when that happened, too. It would make lovely blackmail. The Ghost Zone usually didn't consider the Fentons a threat due to their track record, so Skulker would be embarrassed. Besides, if push came to shove it would make a _lovely_ Christmas gift for Ember. With a guy like Skulker for a boyfriend, a girl needed some leverage to get their man to behave sometimes.

Just then Vlad backed away, telling Ellie that she must have the look on her face she tended to get when pranks were involved. The reason she knew that? Because the last time she had a look like that around the billionaire, his clothes in ghost form ended up pink for a month. (She had pictures of _that_ incident, too.) Ellie ignored Vlad in favor of her conversation with her parents. The last line of inquiry had shifted the topic, and now Ellie was telling her parents about her various ghostly foes- the ones that made repeat appearances.

'I'm glad everything really is working out.' Ellie thought contently as she was telling everyone about Ember's first appearance as a ghostly foe.

Later on, Ellie was in the lab to see Ghost Writer and Clockwork off. Vlad and Ellie's parents had just gone out for whatever their generation's version of a 'night on the town' consisted of. Ellie had a feeling that Jack and Maddie would be crashing at the town home the billionaire kept for situations like that. Sam and Tucker were being driven home by Jazz, who was going to bring home dinner.

"I really appreciate how much you helped me out back there." Ellie told Ghost Writer and Clockwork.

"We told you everything would be fine." Ghost Writer said.

Ellie agreed with a chuckle. "When you're right, you're right."

"And now you can sleep easy, Love." Clockwork said, "Now that your parents now Vladimir will find it much more difficult to cause you grief."

Ellie hugged Clockwork, and then Ghost Writer. "And I have you two to thank for it."

"It was only natural, wasn't it?" Ghost Writer said, "After all, they mean a lot to you.

Ellie's last thought before she was pulled in for a kiss goodbye was 'Who'd have thought the mostly normal daughter of ghost hunters would get a modern day fairy tale ending with a twist?'

Getting there had been far from easy. The last large scale ghost incident had happened when Ellie was still in high school, years earlier. Getting through the metaphorical road intact and free had even at times involved literal blood, sweat, and tears. And ectoplasm, of course, she _was_ only half human. But now after years of dodging ghost hunters and ghostly foes with grudges Ellie Fenton, half ghost half human resident hero of Amity Park, had found her happily ever after all.

**The End**


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